At West Virginia in 2011-12
- Finished the season with a team-high 29 wins and just 10 losses
- Was recognized as a team captain and won the Coaches Award
- Competed at 141 pounds prior to moving to 133 pounds on Jan. 6 against Maryland
- Earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships
- Lost close decision’s to Navy’s Aaron Kalil and Boise State’s Brian Owen at the national tournament
- Ranked as high as No. 19 throughout the season
- Had a team-high 123 dual points and allowed just 45 dual points against
- Led the team with 54 near-fall points
- Also converted 24 takedowns during the dual meet season
- Team leader with four wins by technical fall and 12 wins by major decision
- Had one win over a ranked opponent
- Had a 9-4 record in dual meets and a 4-2 mark in EWL dual meets
- Placed third at the EWL Championships, with his lone loss coming to A.J. Schopp of Edinboro
- Began the season by winning 10 straight and 19 of his first 21 matches
- Placed fifth at the Reno Tournament Champions
- Also placed first at the Navy Classic and the Washington & Jefferson Tournament
- Had a major decision against Nick Flannery of Cleveland State
- Dropped a decision to national champion Kellen Russell of Michigan at the Reno Tournament of Champions
At West Virginia in 2010-11
- Earned a 24-8 record, second-best on the team
- Participated at the NCAA Championships, losing close matches to No. 16 Jordan Keller of Oklahoma and No. 9 Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan
- Came in second place at the EWL Championships, losing a close match to Eric Morrill of Edinboro in the championship match
- Ranked as high as No. 12 during the year
- Started every match for the team at 133 pounds
- Led the team with the most near-fall points (101), major decision wins (11) and tech falls (3)
- Had the second-best dual record (13-2), winning streak (10), takedowns (57) and tied for second for EWL record (7-2)
- Won six consecutive matches in league play
- Earned 44 dual points to his opponents’ six
- Beat two ranked opponents in No. 8 Kelly Kubec of Oregon State and No. 32 John Trumbetti of Lock Haven
- Faced 10 ranked opponents during the year, tied for second-most on team
- Came in second at the Reno Tournament of Champions, falling to No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State in the final
- Advanced the farthest for the team at the Las Vegas Invitational, reaching the fourth round of wrestlebacks
- Named EWL Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 20 following the event
- Placed second at the Washington and Jefferson College Open
- Won his first 10 matches of the year
At West Virginia in 2009-10
Prep
- Wrestled at Greater Latrobe High under coach Marc Billett
- Finished career with a 140-25 mark, one win short of the school’s wins record
- Two-year captain
- Member of the WPIAL Dapper Dan All-Star Team
- Won the 2008 POWERade and King of the Mountain Tournaments
- Three-time state qualifier
- Runner-up at the 2009 PIAA State Tournament
- 2007 sectional champion
- National Honor Society member
Personal
- Son of Richard, a former WVU wrestler, and Michele Pennesi
- Birthday is Dec. 12
- Has one sister
- Majoring in engineering
- Garrett Ford Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll
Pennesi’s Career Statistics
Year W L Dual EWL Falls EWLs NCAA
2010 Redshirted
2011 24 8 13-2 7-2 0 1-1 0-2
2012 29 10 9-4 4-2 0 2-1 0-2
Totals 53 18 22-6 11-4 0 3-2 0-4
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